Promises Process – Sharon N. Simon
Promises Process Parents Teachers
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Teachers, parents and education officials are grappling with the complex realities of managing diverse classrooms across the country, raising fresh questions about whether official promises of an inclusive school system match the everyday experiences of students with special needs.
Speaking on Observer AM, Joy-Ann Harrigan, Education Officer for Special Needs Education in the Ministry of Education, acknowledged that frontline educators now confront an expansive array of learning and behavioural challenges. Classrooms routinely include children managing emotional trauma, developmental delays, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum conditions.
“The government has to provide an education for children. We cannot discriminate,” Harrigan stressed, noting that while teachers often prefer academically uniform classes, that is simply not the reality.
However, systemic limitations within the ministry itself underscore the operational strain. Harrigan revealed that the Special Needs Unit has operated for years without air conditioning, though itinerant teachers continue to visit schools weekly to conduct educational assessments.
Despite monthly virtual professional development sessions offered by the ministry to help teachers plan differentiated lessons, participation remains low. Harrigan urged parents not to get lost in a “rabbit hole” of seeking private medical diagnoses. Instead, she emphasised using ministry assessments to determine how a child learns best, reassuring families that officials provide detailed guidance to help coordinate support with classroom teachers.
Joining the discussion via Zoom, Dr Sylvan Lashley, a specialist in institutional advancement and former university president, argued that moving away from traditional teaching methods requires a complete cultural overhaul. He advocated for Individualised Education Plans (IEPs) for all students, not merely those with identified disabilities, to prevent teacher burnout and ensure family involvement.
Dr Lashley also called for closer structural collaboration between the ministries of Health and Education. He urged authorities to institute “child find” screening initiatives to identify developmental needs before children enter the formal school system, rather than waiting for learning difficulties to surface in the classroom. Addressing funding constraints, Dr Lashley suggested that the government leverage international infrastructure partnerships to secure education grants, noting that foreign entities funding regional roads and airports should also invest directly in special needs resources.
The discussion highlighted deep frustration among parents navigating structural changes within the public school system. One listener detailed how the sudden merger of Glanvilles Secondary School left her child without basic CSEC examination accommodations, despite repeated pleas to administrators.
Addressing the distress, Harrigan reminded families that secondary school is not the end of a child’s educational journey. Pointing to alternative pathways such as the Youth Educational Empowerment Programme (YEEP), she insisted that support must remain a continuous effort.
“It is a journey,” Harrigan said, urging parents to remain persistent advocates. “The children are already challenged … You cannot give up. You have to endure.”
